


An Imported Christmas

by C-chan (1001paperboxes)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Christmas, Japanese Culture, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28050675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1001paperboxes/pseuds/C-chan
Summary: Victor asks Yuuri for a Japanese Christmas in Russia.Who is Yuuri to say no?
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Kudos: 6
Collections: Holidays!!! on Ice (2020)





	An Imported Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nightingalesdonotsing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightingalesdonotsing/gifts).



“So, what’s it like having your birthday on Christmas Eve?”

“It’s not,” Victor replied, and Yuuri felt stupid for even asking, in retrospect. “While I do appreciate all the extra Christmas-themed fan art and gifts I get from my fan club, in Russia, it’s always two weeks later. On the plus side, it makes our national competitions very easy to schedule, since we know most of our international competition will be home celebrating the holiday. On the minus side, that means that I’ve often been on strict diets on my birthday; it’s no fun having to wait an extra week to eat cake, you know! And on a third side... it will be interesting to see what it’s like when I retire. Especially if we go back to Japan.”

“Do you still think you want to?” Yuuri asked. 

It was part of a jumble of thoughts had been bouncing around for a while, going back and forth in terms of feasibility; whether Yuuri or Victor would retire first, or whether they’d retire together, if they’d want to stay in Russia where they’d been living and training, or go back to Japan where they could set up their own skating club and aid Yuuri’s family during the off-season, or find a new place somewhere else in the world, where they could begin anew.

For now, it seemed, Victor was leaning towards Japan again. Yuuri couldn’t say he minded.

“I hear Christmas is a holiday for lovers there,” Victor said instead of answering directly. “Tell me, would you love me especially well if we were there?”

Yuuri would like to say that his face didn’t turn a shade of purple at such a statement, even after all this time, but the evidence was well-stacked against him there. Still, he took a deep breath, pushed up his glasses, and tried to regain his cool.

“Not in public!” He hissed.

Because, while the small talk about holidays was nice, discussing bedroom-type activities seemed less-than-advisable while walking around Turin's busy streets at night. 

There was something that felt right about being back in Europe for the Grand Prix Finals. While it had been nice to see Canada the year before, and revisit some of Victor's favourite spots from the 2010 Olympics, and it had been a joy beyond belief to win the Grand Prix Finals at home in Nagoya the year before that, being in Europe just felt _right_.

The Christmas Markets reminded Yuuri of their first December together. The sights and sounds were a little different than in Barcelona, but there was something in the architecture, in the coloured lights, and even in the sound of Romance language surrounding them that made him nostalgic for that time.

They’d arrived a few days early to get acclimated to Torino and allow for plenty of time to acclimate before the finals began. As it was, it just felt like one more leg in the whirlwind tour that was making up the first half of the skating season.

It had started with a fortnight in North America, with Victor competing in Skate America and Yuuri in Skate Canada. The two events being in the same time zone had definitely been a blessing, and it had been fun to take in the loud atmosphere and excitement of Los Vegas, and then follow it up with the more refreshing nature surrounding Kelowna. Both home countries had wanted their respective skaters to compete, which meant a couple weeks of turning back up in St. Petersburg before heading off to Moscow and Sapporo. 

Yuuri hadn’t intended to go home after Skate Japan, but Victor insisted on visiting and training there for the weeks surrounding Yuuri’s birthday, even paying for the flights from Sapporo in the north to Hasetsu in the south. It had been blessedly nice to be with family on his birthday, which was quickly becoming a tenuous tradition (enforced by Victor when they didn’t have other events to rush to), and Yuuri made sure to thank Victor _very nicely_ when they had some time alone together. They'd be going right back there after the Grand Prix finals too, to prepare for their respective national competitions.

"It's a shame that we don't have more time," Victor sighed, sipping the mulled wine he'd purchased not long before. (Yuuri was taking no chances this time, and contented himself with Bicerin instead; the rich hot chocolate and espresso tastes inviting small sips as the beverage slowly cooled in the winter air.) "One year, after we retire, I'd like to take you on a tour of Europe. Visit all the Christmas markets we can across the continent; teach you how to be a connoisseur of German beer and Swiss chocolate. Tempt you with sweet Italian gelato, even if it's out of season."

"That would mean not coaching for a season," Yuuri reminded, and Victor shrugged. "We both could do with a gap year before moving on, I think. A year to just explore life, and love, before we begin to set our affairs in order and become real adults."

Yuuri was tempted to argue that they were real adults, that even if he'd had to miss the usual coming of age ceremony, he'd gotten his certificate mailed to him; that he'd been training to manage the ryokan's finances for years just in case, and would be able to hold down a job no problem if the ice and publicity weren't both his at present. But on the other hand, the words made perfect sense. Soon, they _would_ need to transition into a new life. Victor was becoming more prone to injury every year, it seemed, and Yuuri had been treating each season as though it was his last since he was 24. They were both old in the skating world, and it would soon be time for other, younger skaters to take their place.

And then, the publicity would largely go away, unless Victor's charming persona could keep it lingering around, as the odd skater managed to do. And then, whether in the Ryoukan, or as a personality, or coaching the next generation, they'd have to find new lives for themselves, and a way to start over.

A year in between, frankly, sounded heavenly.

Taking in a deep breath, Yuuri nodded. "I'd let you. You'd probably have a lot to teach me."

"Not as much as I've learned from you," Victor replied. "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to make up that debt. Or that I'd want to."

Yuuri was never quite sure what Victor meant by that; the words shrouded in mystery as Victor explained about _love_ and _life_ , and how Yuuri had gifted him and several others a revelation on what it was to have both. And, in Victor's case, given him a new chance at both, when he couldn't find them in his life.

Yuuri certainly thought he'd gotten at least as much in return as he'd given; wasn't even sure if he understood how he'd given anything at all of that sort.

But then, his publicity helped keep Yuu-Topia open. His drunken promises had apparently changed Victor's—and in turn, his own—life. And if he were to go too far down that rabbithole, he would probably wind up having an anxiety spiral either immediately, over how he deserved none of it, or later at his own feelings of self-importance. So instead, he took in another deep breath of the cold air, and another sip of his hot Bicerin, and tried to focus on the here and now.

After all, it was a beautiful Christmas market, and who knew when they'd finally hang up their skates and make their way back?

* * *

There was something calming about skating in Hasetsu Ice Castle. There always had been.

This, after all, was where he learned to skate. This is where his mother held him up, so they could skate together, and Yuuri witnessed the joy of the ice for the first time. This is where he and Yuuko had spent hours upon hours practicing together, learning how to jump, and skate backwards, and perform compulsory figures until Yuuri could do the shapes in his sleep. He was doing them again now, warming up and mentally preparing himself with their familiar shapes. Loop, bracket, double three… change the foot here, keep calm and steady and consistent. 

The Grand Prix had gone well. Yuuri's anxiety had reared up enough to keep him off the podium, but it was hard to complain when seeing Yuri Plisetsky unsure of whether to scowl or be elated as Otabek Altin squeaked his way into the gold medal position. Victor joked about how novel it was to have a silver in his collection, and the pictures of a scowling Yuri holding his bronze were already becoming memes across the internet. (Phichit swore it wasn't his doing; Yuuri wasn't entirely convinced.)

And now, there was just enough time to get over his jet lag before competing in nationals, and then get jetlagged again so Victor could perform in his own.

"So what's it like to be born on Christmas Eve?"

Yuuri was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Yuuko's voice on the sidelines, cup of coffee in hand as she watched Victor prepare his notes and take off his skate guards on the sidelines.

"It's not, technically," Victor explained, "though I suppose it would be here, wouldn't it?"

"It would," Yuuko agreed. "I've always wondered if it would be more romantic or frustrating. On one hand, you'd only have one day for both sets of gifts, and that might be disappointing, especially as a kid. On the other, Christmas Eve is a day for lovers, and it could make the day extra special to celebrate a birthday, too."

Victor's heart-shaped smile grew wide. "Yuuri! You never told me it was a day for lovers!" he called, and Yuuri skated over to the side, resting his arms on the boards lest he fall due to startlement as the conversation continued.

(The last time the conversation had turned to lovers, Yuuko shared some of the daydreams they'd had about Victor growing up, causing Victor to laugh and point out how he was doing a very bad job at living up to their ideas of Victor the handsome prince if he also had to be a hard taskmaster on the ice, even if he worked hard to atone for his sins off it, and causing Yuuri, in turn, to badly twist his ankle. He'd had to stay off the ice for nearly a week as it healed, meaning that he could only watch as Victor practiced the routines he knew almost as well as his own.)

"Are you sure?" Yuuri asked. "That sounds like the kind of thing that should've come up by now."

Victor frowned. "I don't think so. But then, Yuuri, when was the last time we were _here_ on Christmas Eve?"

Yuuri blinked. "Never, I guess. It's always been over your nationals and—"

"Exactly," Victor replied. "December twenty-fourth in Russia is a day of skating. Perfect for ensuring victory, if I do say so myself. But if we've been there, we've never really needed to talk about the holiday _here_ , have we?"

And perhaps they hadn't. There was always enough to focus on, what with Victor trying to balance coaching, choreographing, and perfecting his own routines simultaneously, not to mention the training and publicity, and the thousand other things vying for their time and attention.

But there was always time for that to be remedied. And no better time to start than the present.

"Well, would you like me to teach you about Christmas in Japan?"

Victor beamed. "I'll do you one better, Yuuri. Give me the most Japanese Christmas you can in Russia, as a birthday present."

Yuuri nodded, already wondering what he was talking himself into.

It might take a lot of work to get together Christmas, even for the small, secular celebrations he was used to, in another country, but for Victor, it was definitely worth the challenge.

* * *

The last time that Yuuri had been in Japan for Christmas was the year that Victor had come into his life. That Christmas had been spent madly packing as he prepared for his second major international move in less than a year, this time returning to St. Petersburg and Victor’s apartment.

Christmas that year had felt a little like an afterthought around all the excitement—if any year in his life had been a whirlwind, that had been the one—but that didn’t mean that they went without the food.

Most people bought KFC for Christmas, but living in a ryoukan meant cooking for guests, and so, unsurprisingly, Yuuri had grown up with Yuu-topia’s own homemade chicken katsu for Christmas dinner, paired with salad and potatoes and fluffy homemade strawberry shortcake.

Yuuri could try to recreate the chicken katsu, but KFC existed in Russia, and even if the menus weren’t quite the same, it at least would give a more quintessential Japanese feel to the meal. So, Yuuri bought his Christmas meat there, instead choosing to focus on the sides and cake to make the Christmas meal complete.

He had to email his mother to ask for a recipe for the strawberry shortcake, and order the pans on Amazon, thanking whatever god was listening for the blessing that was next-day delivery in urban areas. It would take a full day off to prepare everything, even with the Chicken being taken care of (and it was odd, not having to order it in advance, but the day was just a normal workday in Russia, so it made some sense at least.) However, it worked out for the best. A day off for Yuuri meant extra practice time for Victor, and the man desperately needed to spend some time working on his _own_ programs, even if Yuuri begrudgingly knew that Victor’s programs would likely be perfect even if he only _thought_ about them in the weeks and months leading up to actual competition.

Victor came home from his extra skating time with a smile on his face, and he rushed excitedly into the kitchen once he’d taken just one whiff of the air.

He caught Yuuri with an apron on, tossing the salad in a large bowl while a mix of Japanese Christmas songs—some carols sung by various anime characters, and some singles released by popular artists—and gave a heart-shaped smile as he said "Yuuri!" and rushed to hug his husband around the waist.

Yuuri, for his part, managed to get the tongs out of his hands before leaning back into Victor and soaking in the comfortable feel.

"Everything smells _amazing_ ,” Victor praised. "Have you been working hard? I thought you said that people usually buy dinner on Christmas!"

"They do," Yuuri replied. "I mean, we never did at Yuu-topia, because people bought dinner from _us_ , and then it was always a crapshoot if I'd be invited to someone else's home while I was training in America. I actually had Christmas KFC for the first time _there_ , though actually it was Christmas Eve KFC and a discount strawberry shortcake from Meijer because nowhere was going to be open on Christmas Day…."

He was rambling again. And though he was nuzzling into Yuuri's hair, Yuuri could tell that Victor was probably losing interest. "A-anyway. I went with a mix. We got actual KFC, so I didn't have to bother with deep-frying anything. But I've made everything else to go with it—potatoes au gratin, salad, and dessert. I considered making biscuits as well—they're not so much a Christmas thing, but the Americans I skated with looked at me weirdly when I said that I'd never had biscuits from KFC before, and they _are_ pretty good—but I thought we already had enough carbs going, so I left them off for today.

"I see! Do you need any help?"

Yuuri shook his head no, and turned around so he could point a finger at Victor's face, making him go a little (adorably) cross-eyed as he stared at it.

"You get out of the kitchen today. This is my Christmas feast, and I'll finish it together just fine. And then, in two weeks, you can offer me the same. Okay?"

"But Yuuuri…"

"It's almost done anyway," Yuuri promised. "Go take a shower and get dressed, and I'll probably be ready to start putting things out on the table by then, okay?"

Victor's smile returned as he pirouetted back around, heading out of the room and down the hall, followed by Makkachin, who must have just woken up from her afternoon nap on the big, fluffy dog bed in the living room. "I'll look forward to it!!!!"

Yuuri sighed as he was left alone once again, then picked up the tongs and went right back to work. If he knew Victor well (and, judging by the number of times he'd won skater trivia contests back when he and Yuuko used to hold them together back at the ice palace, he did) then he had about fifteen minutes to get ready.

That meant he had his work cut out for him, if he wanted everything to be ready on time.

* * *

Yuuri was still putting out the last of the dishes on the table when Victor arrived.

"Never serve a dish that doesn't look good!" his mother had taught him at an early age, back when he was old enough to reliably carry out dishes to the customers who came to their onsen. And so, he swapped out the KFC bucket for a platter, and put a few vegetables around the meat as a garnish; small radish roses, an elegantly cut tomato; things that could be enjoyed well enough on their own, or snuck back into their salad as wanted.

There was a bit more salad than they would be able to eat, but Yuuri planned on making lunch bento the next day. Yes, Yakov would probably have less-than-favourable things to say at the high level of fat in the meal, but there was too much good economy to be had. And if his _own_ coach had things to say about that, well, Yuuri would just remind Victor of exactly how much he whined at just having to wait for Yuuri to take the potatoes out of the oven so he could set them on the table last, cheese still bubbling on top.

The look on Victor's face, eyes glistening and mouth shaped into a heart-shaped grin as he looked over their Christmas meal was priceless.

"It's not much," Yuuri said, “but I hope you enjoy.”

"What do you mean, not much?" Victor asked. "I know you've been working hard on this. And it all looks _amazing_!"

"Yeah, I guess," Yuuri hedged, "but this is nothing compared to the time I was invited to Celestino's family for Christmas. There was turkey, and two types of stuffing, and potatoes, and roasted carrots, and green beans sauteed in garlic, and two different pasta dishes. And that was _before_ the entire tray of desserts. Phichit and I both ate so much, we were useless for the rest of the day, and Celestino scolded us on not knowing how to portion control when we had our next lesson a couple days later." He'd had a smile on his face, though; and for good reason: Celestino had probably eaten more than either of them, enjoying the rare chance to enjoy his family favourites.

"Ahhh," Victor replied. "Well, it's not good to overstuff yourself, it's true. But it's also good to be able to indulge every now and again."

Yuuri shrugged. "I know. Katsudon, remember?"

"How could I forget?"

"Anyway… most of that feast was amazing, and I probably should learn how to cook some of it, so I can show you an American holiday. Or an Italian-American one, anyway. From what some of my classmates explained, the different food can really depend on the family, though turkey is generally considered normal, and a lot of non-Christians go for Chinese food instead, since those restaurants tend to be one of the few places consistently open on Christmas."

"Did you have Chinese on Christmas, then?"

"Once," Yuuri admitted; "to be honest, it was really different than the Chinese food I've had in Japan, or in China, and I wasn't too big of a fan. Most of the time I just had leftovers, or things that I could cook myself."

"Aaaah," Victor replied. "So, explain to me all of this!"

Yuuri shrugged.

"You said you wanted a traditional Japanese Christmas, and, well, there's not a lot too that. I mean, there's TV specials, and music, and food. Sometimes presents, especially with kids, or with lovers, but that's about it. 

"As I've told you before, the traditional Japanese Christmas dinner is chicken katsu, and specifically from KFC. I've never really understood why; apparently there was a really good commercial sometime before I was born or something. But anyway, there's chicken, and usually something like a salad, and usually potatoes. ...I'm not a huge fan of the KFC fries, so I decided to do my own gratin instead. It's a little rich, but I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will," Victor replied.

Not long after, they both had their plates piled high with the simple but delicious food. Victor definitely declared it all _vkusno_ , especially the potatoes. Yuuri wasn't quite sure if he wasn't just praising the dish when it looked like it had taken the most time, and because it was the most rich, but it was nice to get the praise regardless.

Bringing out the cake led to its own conversation about the mix of religion in Japan, and how "Christmas Cake" had taken on a few somewhat unique meanings in Japan.

("So what you're saying is that I snatched you up just before you became Christmas cake," Victor mused.

Yuuri blushed deep. "Victoooor.")

Victor made them both tea as they finished, the spiced and slightly smoky taste of his preferred blend working well to soothe the stomach after such a large meal. However, apparently there were more questions to come, and more thoughts in Victor's mind.

"So this is all Christmas is in Japan?" he asked, as Yuuri packed the leftovers into tupperware containers, portioning some into lunch for the next day, and the rest into large containers for later enjoyment.

"Almost," Yuuri replied with a shrug. "I mean, it's generally not celebrated in any sort of religious sense--not by most of the population, anyway; we do have some Christians here and there, they're just a pretty small part of Japan's overall population--so for the most part, it's a secular holiday. I guess that makes it kind of the opposite of here, huh?"

"Kind of," Victor agreed with a small smile. "You'll see what I mean in two weeks."

"I guess so," Yuuri replied, dutifully putting everything else in the fridge.

"Oh, but Yuuri?"

Closing the fridge, Yuuri turned to face Victor once again.

"Yeah?"

"You said that this was _almost_ all Christmas is in Japan," he replied. "Does that mean that you've got more plans for today than a tasty meal, some mood music, and some cheesy decorations?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact," Yuuri replied. He washed his hands, then reached a hand out towards Victor, which was taken without a moment's hesitation. (Yuuri could feel Victor's ring, ever so slightly, as it dug into his palm. It was a surprisingly pleasant feeling, as usual.)

He led Victor to the living room, and smiled as Victor let out a whistle at the sight.

This room had been set up with decorations too over the course of the day: a very small tree stood on an end table, decorated with a rather eclectic set of ornaments.

"This is the tree I had in the dorm," Yuuri explained. "We sometimes put up a big one for the inn, though the interesting part was swapping it for New Year's decorations on the 26th."

"New year's decorations?" Victor repeated, and Yuuri smiled.

"You'll see," he promised. "But for now, one holiday at a time!"

And with that, he reached under the end table, pulling a small parcel out from underneath.

"I know you were complaining that you knew I'd bought you something else yesterday, and I said I hadn't, but that was because it was meant to be a _Christmas_ gift, and not a _birthday_ one."

"Aaaaah," Victor replied, letting out a little chuckle as he accepted the offering. It was wrapped in red cloth; neatly folded and with the top arranged in a little bow.

"I figured this'd be easier than trying to find a wrapping paper that I liked." Yuuri admitted. "Plus, I thought a tube of that lying around would be too obvious."

"Can I open it?" Victor asked, his hands feeling along the folds of the fabric as he tried to guess what was inside.

"Sure," Yuuri replied. "It's your Christmas present, after all."

And so Victor did, humming happily to himself as he worked out the knot, and smiling widely as he saw the large bowls inside.

"Mom sent these over; we picked them together" he explained, pulling out the donburi bowls. "There's two sets, actually."

And with that, he pulled out the second parcel, this one wrapped in a green cloth. Victor opened this one with gusto, too.

Each contained a set of two donburi bowls; one done in very simple pottery, the black and off-white finish on the earthenware lending its own hand-finished sort of beauty. The other was a little more childish, as his mother had admitted when Yuuri had selected them, but as they depicted poodles around the outside, and another smiling at the bottom of the bowl, Yuuri thought that they were too perfect to pass up.

Victor must have thought so as well, because he gathered Yuuri into a tight hug, despite the relative awkwardness of their positions.

"These are amazing!" he exclaimed. "Thank you very, very much! Does this mean we're going to have katsudon again soon?"

Yuuri shrugged, or did as best he could anyway, while surrounded by Victor's arms.

"I don't know. That depends on whether or not my coach will allow me to indulge in such a treat when I haven't won anything since we left Yuu-topia."

Victor chuckled. "I'm sure we'll think of some way to convince him."

The rest of the evening was spent watching a selection of the Christmas specials that Yuuri had mentioned; streamed off of his laptop. Some were shows he remembered from childhood, like one where an alien got upset because his earthling friends were all going home for New Year's, meaning that they couldn't celebrate Christmas with him; and some were more new. ("Did they really just sing an overly alliterative version of Jingle Bells, and then kill one of the main characters?" "Yeah. This show was a bit of a trip….")

And then, as they wrapped down, Yuuri found Victor with one more question.

"Yuuri, you said that this is a lover's holiday too, right?" he asked.

Yuuri nodded. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

"This has been lovely, but it hasn't been particularly lovers-like."

Yuuri blushed.

"Well, you see, I never really got to experience that. I mean, I know it _is_ , but you know that you're my first real relationship. The closest thing I had to a romantic relationship before you came along was Yuuko, and she was always more interested in Nishigori-kun than me, and we always were busy with our own families at Christmas. Or the ice, I guess, but that gets complicated for other reasons. Or, uh, I guess Katsudon? But again, that's not really—you can't go on dates with a bowl of rice and pork!"

Yuuri covered his head with his hands, blushing, and Victor chuckled softly. 

"Right, right. You're such a natural and passionate lover, once you come out of your shell, and such a flirt when you want to be, it's easy to forget that you're so inexperienced. But I like you that way; it proves just how much of a natural you are."

Yuuri peered out. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome."

Dropping his hands, Yuuri took in one deep breath, then another, and then continued. "Well, lovers often go on dates, from what I understand. Like, they might go skating on an outdoor rink. Or go to the movies, or to a cafe. Something like that. But the Christmas that I remember are the kid ones, so that's what I modelled it after today."

Victor's eyes seemed to sparkle as he clasped his hands, an idea springing to mind.

"Let's go on one of those dates! Right now!"

"But it's late, and most places are closing… shouldn't we—"

"It'll be fine!" Victor promised, pausing only long enough to put the donburi bowls safely on the ground before standing, and pulling Yuuri to his feet. "Come on. We'll take Makkachin, walk around the city, and admire its sights by night. It will be wonderful."

Yuuri, as usual, found it difficult to say no to that sort of expressive energy, and so he found himself moments later wrapped up in his beige winter jacket and blue hat and scarf, a large red bow tied to Makkachin's collar (to make it more festive!, Victor explained) as they all headed out together into the cold December night.

St Petersburg really was beautiful by night.

Not that this was surprising; it was beautiful by day as well. But something about the lights reflecting off of snow really did give a Christmas-like feel. It was something he'd experienced quite a bit in Detroit—snowy winters that reminded him of all the Christmas specials where someone would announce that it was snowing, and then Santa would fly through the sky. Less so at home, when snow was an anomaly, even when it _wasn't_ April.

But it was the perfect end of the day; adding that last bit of flare to perhaps, what the adult version of his Christmas in Japan would look like.

The public rinks were closed for the night, as Yuuri expected, but they stopped at one anyway, if just to sit for a few minutes, share a few stolen kisses, and let Makkachin do her business.

But not even the prospect of cleaning dog poop could ruin the moment. Together, they had created something magical. And Yuuri wouldn't have traded it for the world, even in its relative simplicity.

"So, did you enjoy this attempt at a Japanese Christmas?" Yuuri asked, pressing his forehead against Victor's, taking care not to dig his glasses too far into Victor's face.

"Yes," Victor replied. "Very much. And Yuuri?"

"What?" Yiuuri asked.

" _Meri Kurisumasu._ "

Yuuri laughed. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

* * *

"So what comes next?" Victor asked as they returned home, got rid of what dog poop they couldn't throw out along the way, and took off their winter gear.

"New Year's, I guess," Yuuri replied.

"Will you guide me through Japanese New Year's, then?"

New Years was a lot; days of preparation, a bit of pop culture, a lot of tradition, and only a week before it all began.

But he'd pulled off Christmas already, and knew, now, how to improvise.

"Yeah," Yuuri replied. "I think I'm up to the challenge."


End file.
